This whole wheat pasta with roasted tomato and bell pepper pesto was made quite some time ago. It is easy to rustle up and forms a lovely, healthy meal.
On another note, although the temperatures in our neck of the woods are still hovering around zero, it is such a pleasure to see the spring bulbs pushing their way out through the soil. I am so looking forward to their display in my little garden.
Coming back to this recipe, I was actually in two minds about sharing it as I had forgotten to note down the timing for the roasted tomato and bell pepper. But the end product is too good to not share. All you have to do is to just keep an eye on the oven for a few minutes and you are good. And yes, this recipe too comes from ‘the notebook’. Not sure which notebook I’m talking about? Read all about it here.
We love our pasta, and I often look for ways to add healthy ingredients to make it more substantial. In this dish, I did set out to make the usual pesto with basil, nuts, olive oil, cheese and garlic…and then decided to add some roasted tomatoes and bell pepper. And I am really glad I did. The extras gave the pesto an indulgent feel while being healthy at the same time.
Along with the whole wheat fusilli pasta, it is quite a filing dish, and we enjoyed it immensely.
The pasta-
I used whole wheat fusilli pasta as that is what I had in my pantry; any other type of pasta can be used too.
The cheese-
I used Red Leicester cheese in the pesto as we do love that cheese and the lovely hue it imparts to a dish. If you cannot find this cheese easily, cheddar is a good substitute in this dish.
Continue reading for the full /printable recipe for the whole wheat pasta with roasted tomato and bell pepper pesto.
All the vegetarian recipes on this website can be found here.
You might also like to try the following recipes from this website-
Subscribe to Sunita’s World – life and food! to receive updates on latest posts, tips and recommendations straight to your inbox! Simply fill in the details below. Thank you!
On another note, if you try any recipe from this website, do take a photo and tag me on instagram @sunita_bhuyan. I would love to see your creations! Also, do connect on other socials too; links to all my socials are given below-
STAY CONNECTED:Recipe card-
Whole wheat pasta with roasted tomato and bell pepper pesto
Ingredients
- ½ a red pepper, deseeded and chopped
- 1 ripe tomato, chopped
- a very small bunch of coriander leaves
- 50 gms of fresh basil leaves
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil+ more for pulsing
- a small handful of almonds, chopped and lightly toasted
- ½ tsp crushed red chillies (more or less)
- 50 gms of Red Leicester or cheddar cheese, grated
- 250 gms of cooked pasta ( I used wholewheat fusili )
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pre heat the oven at 250 deg C
- In a baking dish, toss together the tomatoes, red pepper, garlic, 1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper. Place the tray at the top rack of the pre heated oven and roast, turning them over now and then. When the tomatoes soften and lovely aromas emanate from the oven, they are ready ( rather vague, I know, but I didn't note down the exact number of minutes…shouldn't be too many, so, please do keep a watch)
- Meanwhile, pulse the basil, coriander, almonds, crushed red chillies and half the cheese.
- Add the roasted vegetables and pulse, pouring in enough olive oil to make a thick paste. Check the seasoning.
- Toss the pasta with the pesto, serve in bowls and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on the top.
- Serve immediately.
You might also like to try the following recipes from this website-
Until next time,
Sunita
STAY CONNECTED: